Former Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) additional secretary Muhammad Afzal Khan has alleged that the general elections in May 2013 were rigged and that the people’s mandate was ‘stolen’.
During an interview with a private television channel, Afzal alleged that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not win the elections in a free and fair manner while former chief justices Iftikhar Chaudhry and Tassadduq Jillani were also involved in rigging the vote. He alleged that Chaudhry had appointed returning officers (ROs) for the election duties.
Afzal further alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim had shut his eyes on the rigging.
The former additional secretary said that the ECP had been put under tremendous pressure during the alleged rigging.
Khan said that judges were also involved in fixing the vote and that hearings of voter fraud was deliberately delayed.
“It was a doubt but now it’s clear that there were more than 35 punctures during May 2013 elections,” said former additional secretary of ECP.
Reacting to the interview, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan commended Afzal Khan and said that the former additional secretary’s remarks vindicated his stand.
Khan said that Afzal’s statements showed that the position for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was “indefensible” and reiterated his demand for premier’s resignation.
However, former law minister Rana Sanaullah dismissed Afzal’s remarks saying that people like Afzal were “especially prepared for occasions such as this”.